Dr. Mohammed Abchir
Resident Representative
Dr. Mohamed Abchir Aouale, PhD, brings over three decades of professional experience, with 23 years dedicated to the United Nations at various levels – nationally, regionally and globally, dealing with strategic, programmatic, and operational challenges. His expertise lies in navigating crises, post-crisis scenarios, and fragile settings across Africa, including complex UN Mission environments and humanitarian contexts. Notably, Dr. Abchir has e ectively engaged with governments, development partners, and NGOs on political and developmental issues in diverse, often sensitive, landscapes.
With a strong leadership background, Dr. Abchir has provided strategic guidance to UNDP Country Offices for more than 18 years, serving in a diverse range of managerial roles. Prior to his assignment at UNDP South Sudan, Dr. Abchir was the Resident Representative in Benin between November 2020 and June 2024. He previously worked at the Regional Bureau for Africa as Senior Country Advisor and Team Leader in charge of Eastern and Southern Africa (2018-2020), providing strategic, programmatic, technical, and operational support and advice to 21 countries in his region. He also served at UNDP Congo Brazzaville as Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes and Operations (2015-2018) and as Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes in UNDP Sierra Leone (2011-2015).
In 2013, he served in Sierra Leone as interim UNDP Country Director during a crucial moment in the country's history, when, after the 2012 elections, the United Nations Political Mission was drawing from the country. Under his leadership, UNDP supported the Government in this transition by setting up ambitious programs and mobilizing resources for several sectors to revive the national economy.
Dr. Abchir worked in Geneva, Switzerland, as Africa Regional Advisor for the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) (2005-2011) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2001-2005). During his tenure, he successfully designed and coordinated several initiatives, and led post-crisis and post-disaster assessment missions, both from the headquarters as well as physically on the ground, in Haiti, Burkina Faso, CAR, CHAD, South Sudan. Outside UNDP, He worked for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy, as a consulting advisor (1999 and 2000).
Apart from his programmatic and operational roles, Dr. Abchir has a rich research background, having also worked as a researcher and academic. In Djibouti, Dr. Abchir was the Director of the Earth Sciences Department (1994-2001) at the Institut Supérieur d'Etudes et de Recherche Scienti ques et Techniques (ISERST), where he advised the Presidency of the Republic and various ministries on renewable energy, natural disaster management, job creation, and poverty alleviation, among other issues.
Dr. Abchir's track record re ects impactful leadership in partnership building and resource mobilization across various critical sectors such as elections, peacebuilding, sustainable development, and resilience building. His technical acumen in crisis recovery, disaster risk reduction, climate change, and natural resource management, coupled with a knack for fostering South-South cooperation, underscores his holistic approach to development challenges.
Moreover, Dr. Abchir's familiarity with issues in Central, East, and Horn of Africa bolsters his network with regional institutions, highlighting his adeptness in representing UNDP's interests and fostering regional collaboration. Fluent in English, French, and Somali, and moderate in Arabic, his multicultural background and passion for African development positions UNDP favorably in engaging with host governments and regional stakeholders.
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